Peek into the future on Hook'em & Book'em

Ready for the New Year? I am excited about what this year will bring our way. New books to read. New publishing opportunities. New friends. Let me share a little of what might be coming up.

Let’s start with reading. Now, I know some of you still prefer the traditional print novel where you can feel the texture, smell the print, and use that ol’ bookmark between the pages to signal just where you left off the next time you pick up that book. I still like the print version myself, although if I choose to buy a hardback novel for my library shelves, most likely it will be a Costco special of one of my favorite authors. Otherwise, it is eBooks for me. Everyone has their preferences.

For the less traditional folks, let’s talk about digital copies for a moment. Recently, my first Kindle reader bit the dust when my daughter accidentely leaned on the face of the reader and cracked the cover. I tried to read my digital books on my Samsung tablet, which was nice but not quite the same—particularly as I tried to categorize my novels and books for easy retrieval. So, I ordered the Kindle Paperwhite and just got it set up a week ago. Wow! Easy to read, the size of a paper back novel that easily fits in my pocket, and easy to organize the hundreds of novels and non-fiction books I have lingering in my Kindle Cloud in Amazon’s digital sky. I won’t bore you…uh, am I too late…with all the reading features, but I am once again a very satisfied reader

No matter your reading choice—Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kindle Fire, Kobo or print—there are marvelous opportunities in store for you. The publishing world is changing—for readers and authors.

Here on Hook’em/Book’em, we have a lot to look forward to over the coming year. For example, one of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz, promises to return for a visit later this spring after his next novel is put to bed. And I hope that such authors as John Lescroart, James Scott Bell, and Tess Gerritsen, among many others—will rejoin us throughout the year to tell us what is happening in their corner of the publishing world.

I would like to expand our coverage of new and independent writers who are emerging among the ranks of authors that readers might want to know about. As the eBook world continues to find its place in this publishing environment, new indie writers and indie publishers are rising to prominence in this wild west frontier of the new digital age. What was true in 2009 is old news, and might not work in 2013. Join us as we learn about these changes coming up in the not-so-distant future.

I need to get back to our friends in law enforcement and the intelligence world to find out how fiction and reality come together in mystery/suspense/thriller novels. Everything from border searches to predator drones, from human trafficking to forensic science, will be examined through the eyes of my experts in the military, law enforcement, and the intelligence community. As I started to jot down ideas for a Gerrit O’Rourke sequel (release in 2014) I was interested in the predator drone technology and how that impacts our world today. After I finished my latest novel, Fatal eMpulse (A Gerrit O’Rourke Novel), I came across sources and information about the on-going war on terror that I thought might interest readers here on Hook’em & Book’em.

Which brings me back to my roots—law enforcement. I have been editing the final changes to Broken Allegiance (A Tom Kagan Novel), which will be released in 2013. This police procedural focuses on the struggle between gang officers and gangsters going on throughout our nation. This novel deals primary with the notorious Nuestra Famila prison gang in California, but its tentacles—like those of many prison gangs—extend into every state and federal institution throughout our nation, and on the streets of every city in American. As I edited this novel, it rekindled my desire to rejoin my friends in law enforcement and share with you some of the insight and work experiences cops face today.

Coming back to law enforcement issues is like coming home after a long trip abroad. In my last two international thrillers, I and my readers traveled all over the world and landed in some pretty exotic and dangerous locations. But now, it is time to come home. The Tom Kagan novels (yes, there will be more than one) and our friend, Travis Mays, will be joining us again as they travel through the twists and turns of investigations into murder, drug trafficking, and political corruption. After Broken Allegiance, I plan on putting together a sequel to Revenge, titled Blood Quantum (A Travis Mays Novel). Travis Mays and his girlfriend, Jessie White Eagle, and her father—Frank, chief of the Nez Perce Tribal Police—once again join forces over one of the hottest issue facing the Indian nations today, a concept called blood quantum. After two long years, I and my readers get to travel back to this beautiful Idaho reservation along the Clearwater River. Travis and his friends find themselves in trouble once again as tribal and BIA politics erupt in murder and deception.

Come with us as we explore—on Hook’em/Book’em—all of the above ideas and opportunities as well as try to keep up with changes exploding within the publisher world. 

Here are a few topics:  

• Expansion of digital inroads by traditional publishers.
• New developments and opportunities within the indie publishing community.
• Social networking, publicity and marketing. 
• Finding out about some of the new and promising authors emerging in this ever-changing community of writers, readers, and publishing outlets.

I trust that something mentioned above will pique your interest. And, I welcome any other topics of interest that our readers might want to explore. This coming year is going to be exciting. I hope to be able to share some of that with you here on this blog. Thank you for your faithfulness to to Hook’em/Book’em. Happy New Year!